South Carolina gardens can become a hummingbird haven with the right flowers. I’ve experimented with several unusual blooms, and a few always seem to draw these tiny visitors.
These flowers don’t just brighten your yard—they bring a lively, fluttering energy that’s impossible to miss. With the right selections, your garden can stay vibrant and full of movement.
Let’s explore the flowers that hummingbirds love in South Carolina.
1. Cardinal Flower
Brilliant crimson spikes make this native wildflower impossible to miss in South Carolina gardens. Hummingbirds can’t resist its tubular blooms that seem designed just for their long beaks.
Thriving in moist areas throughout the Palmetto State, cardinal flower blooms from mid-summer to fall. Its dramatic color creates a stunning focal point while providing essential nectar for ruby-throated hummingbirds.
2. Cypress Vine
Delicate star-shaped scarlet flowers contrast beautifully with feathery foliage on this climbing annual. Morning glory’s cousin creates a vertical paradise for hummingbirds visiting South Carolina gardens.
Growing up to 20 feet in a single season, this vine transforms fences and trellises. The Palmetto State’s warm climate provides perfect conditions for cypress vine to produce hundreds of nectar-filled blooms hummingbirds can’t resist.
3. Pineapple Sage
Late-season blooms make this herb especially valuable for migrating hummingbirds passing through South Carolina. Vivid crimson tubular flowers emerge just when food sources start diminishing in fall.
Crush a leaf between your fingers and enjoy the surprising tropical aroma. In the Palmetto State’s gardens, pineapple sage grows into a substantial 3-foot shrub with brilliant blooms that serve as beacons for hungry hummingbirds.
4. Cigar Plant
Tubular orange-red blooms tipped with white and black resemble tiny lit cigars on this unusual tropical. South Carolina’s climate allows this plant to flourish, producing countless flowers that hummingbirds visit repeatedly.
Low-growing and spreading, cigar plants create colorful ground cover in Palmetto State gardens. Their continuous blooming habit from spring until frost provides a reliable nectar source that keeps hummingbirds coming back daily.
5. Bat-faced Cuphea
Whimsical purple and red flowers resembling tiny bat faces make this unusual plant a conversation starter. South Carolina gardeners appreciate its drought tolerance and non-stop blooming from spring through fall.
Each bizarre bloom features purple “ears” and red “face” that fascinate humans and hummingbirds alike. In the Palmetto State’s hot summers, bat-faced cuphea continues flowering when many other plants have stopped, providing crucial nectar for resident hummingbirds.
6. Firecracker Plant
Cascading stems covered with tubular red blooms create a fountain of color that hummingbirds can’t resist. South Carolina’s mild winters allow this tender perennial to thrive, especially in coastal areas.
Perfect for hanging baskets or spilling over walls in Palmetto State gardens. The arching habit showcases hundreds of nectar-rich flowers that attract hummingbirds with their bright color and abundant sweet reward.
7. Turkish Cap
Unusual twisted red flowers never fully open, creating perfect feeding tubes for hummingbird beaks. Native to tropical forests, this shade-loving shrub adapts beautifully to South Carolina’s humid climate.
Unlike sun-loving alternatives, Turkish cap thrives in the dappled shade of Palmetto State gardens. Its continuous blooming habit and ability to flower even in low light make it invaluable for attracting hummingbirds to woodland gardens.
8. Shrimp Plant
Overlapping bracts in salmon-pink to rusty-red create flower spikes resembling shrimp, hence the quirky name. South Carolina’s climate provides perfect growing conditions for this conversation-starting tropical perennial.
The actual tiny white flowers peek out from between colorful bracts on this Palmetto State garden favorite. Hummingbirds probe these unusual blooms repeatedly, finding sweet nectar hidden within the strange shrimp-like structures.
9. Lion’s Ear
Whorls of fuzzy orange tubular flowers stack along tall stems on this striking African native. South Carolina gardeners value its drought tolerance and late-season blooming when many other plants have finished.
Rising 4-6 feet tall in Palmetto State gardens, lion’s ear creates a dramatic vertical element. Hummingbirds hover around the unusual tiered blooms, drinking nectar from dozens of individual tubular flowers arranged in fuzzy circular clusters.
10. Flowering Maple
Delicate pendant blooms in sunset hues dangle like tiny Chinese lanterns from maple-shaped leaves. Despite its common name, this South Carolina garden favorite isn’t a maple at all but a tropical Abutilon.
Hummingbirds hover beneath the nodding flowers, perfectly positioned for their upward-facing feeding style. The Palmetto State’s climate allows these tender shrubs to grow quite large, producing hundreds of nectar-rich blooms throughout the growing season.
11. Black and Blue Salvia
Dramatic cobalt-blue flowers emerge from near-black calyces creating a stunning two-tone effect. South Carolina’s heat and humidity don’t faze this sturdy perennial, which blooms continuously from spring until frost.
Hummingbirds become regular visitors to Palmetto State gardens featuring this striking salvia variety. The intensely colored tubular blooms provide rich nectar rewards, while the unusual black calyces create visual interest for human gardeners too.
12. Candy Corn Plant
Tubular flowers in yellow, orange, and red layers perfectly mimic the Halloween candy. South Carolina’s mild winters allow this tender perennial to establish into impressive flowering shrubs that hummingbirds visit repeatedly.
Native to Mexico, candy corn plant brings tropical flair to Palmetto State gardens. The unusual tri-colored blooms produce abundant nectar that fuels hummingbirds during their busy days of territorial defense and feeding.